Does Hollywood need to go Back to School ? This summer is on track to equal, and maybe even surpass, the B.O. record. To date, tallies are running even with last year's summer numbers at $3.6 billion. And it could eclipse the record-breaking $4.3 billion earned in summer 2008.aSo in theory, studio executives have plenty to learn by studying what worked this summer -- and what didn't.

But, in fact, Hollywood has tried some daring experiments with the summer formula this year and the results are inconclusive.

There were whopping successes and embarrassing failures, and execs are scratching their heads to figure out why some succeeded and others didn't.

There are plenty of questions to be raised from these numbers.

•Does a May bow assure longer playing times?A few years ago, the studios opened three blockbuster titles in May: The third editions of "Spider-Man," "Pirates" and "Shrek," all had great bows, followed by long shelf lives. This year, the st…

James Wood and Dominic Purcell Join the cast of Straw Dogs Remake The Movie is a remake of the original Movie that came out in 1971 Starring Dustin Huffman. Upon moving to Britain to get away from American violence, astrophysicist David Sumner and his wife Amy are bullied and taken advantage of by the locals hired to do construction. When David finally takes a stand it escalates quickly into a bloody battle as the locals assault his house.Let's See what they do to the Story and how they are going to update the movie

Director Rod Lurie updated the status on his official Facebook page today with a surprising addition the cast of his forthcoming remake of Straw Dogs. "Beginning stunt rehearsals today with James Woods and Dominic Purcell." They join the previously announced James Marsden, Kate Bosworth and Alexander Skarsgard in the film which follows Los Angeles screenwriter David Sumner (Marsden), who moves with his wife to her hometown in the deep South. Once there, tensio…

It's seems like everywhere you turn someone is making a Vampire movie. So it's not too much of a Surprise to hear that another movie is being made from an Anne Rice book. Since she is the Queen of Vampire Books. I hope that it will be as good as Interview with a Vampire But that movie did have my Man Tom Cruise Playing Lestat and this movie will have Robert Downey Jr in the same role, So we will have to see.We've been scrambling all week to confirm the following report, especially since it came from a very reliable source and is insanely logical considering the popularity of vampires these days. I guess something good has come from the success of Twilight as Bloody Disgusting has learned exclusively that Universal Pictures is looking to restart Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles, which tells the tale of the vampire Lestat Du Lioncort (through his narration), a nobleman-turned-vampire in …

Jason Patric Joins the Cast of LoserJason Patric has joined the cast of "The Losers," the Warner Bros./Dark Castle adaptation of the DC-Vertigo comicbook.Patric plays Max, a CIA agent who has gone off the rails and sets up the title characters, a black ops team, to be killed. Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans, Zoe Saldana and Idris Elba also star.

It is the first true villain role and the first comicbook movie for an actor who is usually drawn to dark, edgy, adult-themed fare. Courted by Joel Silver (who produces with Akiva Goldsman), Patric was lured by the chance to work with director Sylvain White. He also decided to plug in with the young geek demo driving the box office these days.

"Let's face it, the geeks have inherited the world, and if you want to be a player in this system, you have to be willing to do some of this," Patric acknowledged. "But I wouldn't do 'The Losers' if it wasn't interesting to me as an actor."Loser is about C…

New Avatar Picture SlashFilm has posted the first image from James Cameron's Avatar, which you can view in full after the jump; the photo (spoiler ahead!) depicts Sam Worthington as paraplegic soldier Jake Sully beside the tank holding his alien "avatar," into which his consciousness will be downloaded so that he can work on the planet Pandora. Avatar opens Dec. 18.Don't Forget about this Monday to Visit the Site to get your chance at winning Tickets to Avatar Day . Visit Here For More Info.Source- /films

Some good news for The Wolverine Franchise. Its great to get such a writer for the next installment of the movie. And what direction is he going to take this film?

It’s early days yet, but it looks like Fox’s mutant prequel sequel, X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2 (or whatever the hell it’s going to be called), is heading in the right direction after Christopher McQuarrie was brought on board to write the screenplay.

McQuarrie, probably best known as Bryan Singer’s go-to screenwriter of choice (he wrote Public Access, won an Oscar for The Usual Suspects, did an uncredited polish on the first X-Men, and most recently penned Valkyrie), is one of the best writers in Hollywood, and his hiring would seem to be a strong signal that Fox and producer/star Hugh Jackman are determined to ensure that the Wolverine sequel is an improvement on the original.

That, of course, wouldn’t be hard. Although the movie grossed almost $400 million at the global…

Brett Ratner Not Directing Conan Movie Here is some good news for all you Conan Fans. Brett Ratner will not be Directing the Conan Movie. Thank Crom.Its Great news that he will not allowed him ruin another movie Franchise, Like he has done in the past. "X Men Last Stand "Empire magazine spoke to Conan and Red Sonja producer Joe Gatta today, and he had a few revelations to share about the upcoming films. Most importantly, it appears that Brett Ratner is currently off Conan, which he was expected to direct.

"We’re currently in the process of hiring a director," he told us. "For the past six months we were discussing the movie with Brett Ratner, and for more timing issues than anything else we had to part ways with Brett. We all wanted him to do it, believe me; just the timing didn’t work. But you never know what can happen."

That last comment would appear to leave the door open for a return for Ratner, should his schedule free up (he's currently got about …

Rodriguez Talks Predators and Jetsons Robert Rodriguez's Plate seems very full with all the movies that he has plans to come out with.Rodriguez added that things are moving forward on Predators, the reboot/prequel film, which he's producing. Specifically, he said that he's loaned out his Austin, Texas, studio and crew to help breathe new life into the franchise. "I have a director on that [Nimród Antal], and it's my main crew that I usually use," he said. "It's taking place right there, so I get to walk in and see designs and comment on stuff and work on the script with him. We start shooting that pretty soon."

Another long-gestating project Rodriguez is attached to is Sin City 2, which he said is on the back burner and which lacks at least one important element. "Until I'm actually on the set, it's not happening," he confessed. "But we have a script—we just haven't shot it yet."

James Cameron's Free Avatar Day Info Here is more info on the Free Avatar Day that James Cameron Discussed during Comic Con. The date is now set for August 21, 2009. There will two showings at 6 PM and 6:30 PM.Here are more detail on how to get tickets. Let's hope we don't see these thing on EBay, Like the Michael Jackson tickets. To see my Exclusive interview with James Cameron Click Here.On Monday, 20th Century Fox will launch an unusual offer on the website for its Cameron-directed film "Avatar": free tickets for an early look at 16 minutes of footage from the futuristic thriller that will be shown in more than 100 Imax 3-D theaters around the world.

With two screenings on Friday, Aug. 21 (at 6 and 6:30 p.m.), the "Avatar" preview will include an introduction from Cameron and some new footage not shown during July's Comic-Con International convention in San Diego. "Avatar," which will be released in December, is Cameron's first featur…

California Trying to Lure Film Makers Back to Hollywood LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After a decade of watching film production slowly abandon Hollywood, lured away by financial incentives first in Canada, then other U.S. states, California hopes to woo the movies back home.

But some worry that it might be too little, too late after the number of studio feature films shot in California has dropped to less than half of what it was in 2003.

Broadcast and cable television and commercial shoots, which had been more likely than feature films to stay in Hollywood in recent years, are also down significantly, with 44 of 103 pilot episodes shot outside southern California this year.

"In 2008 the worst numbers ever were recorded and the first six months of 2009 show a 50 percent drop from that. That can only be described as a disaster," said Paul Audley, president of FilmLA, the non-profit organization which coordinates film, TV and commercial production in and around Los Angeles.

Megan Fox Doing a Public Service AnnouncementMegan Fox Doing a PSA for the movie Jennifer's Body. Pretty funny when she drops the F-Bomb.Alittle about the movie.A newly possessed cheerleader turns into a killer who specializes in offing her male classmates. Can her best friend put an end to the horror?

Death Race Prequel is going to be MadeThe origins of the deadly, fuel-injected game at the center of Paul W.S. Anderson's are going to be explored in an upcoming sequel.

Tony Giglio has been hired to write a script, based on a story by Anderson, to be produced by Impact Pictures (Anderson and Jeremy Bolt's production outfit). Giglio may also direct. The script is said to delve into the past of the driver known as Frankenstein. Anderson and Bolt will oversee the Death Race prequel after they've completed Resident Evil-Afterlife on which Giglio will serve as a second unit Director . Death Race grossed over $70 million worldwide in 2008.Source-stud

Hearing from April about her review of the Movie which she got to see during Comic Con. Her review is here. And after seeing this Red Band Trailer. I am getting very excited for this movie. Now if only January was closer. I guess this trailer will have to do for now.

The human race has messed up so bad that God sends his angels down to Earth to start an Apocalypse. The archangel Michael (Paul Bettany) does against God, cutting off his wings, and joins a band of strangers in a diner fighting to save the human race. One of those in the diner is a pregnant waitress who turns out to be carrying the savior to the human race.

The trailer starts out with Doug Jones (Abe Sapien from Hell Boy and the Silver Surfer from Fantastic Four) as a very creepy ice cream man. This is a different role for Doug Jones since you actually get to see his face. During the Q & A he was asked if it felt liberating to do a movie without the masks and extensive make-up. He replied th…

Lego Movie to Be Made By Warner BrothersI guess they are going to make movies out of every childhood memory and why not this one too.

Movies based on toys couldn't be hotter in Hollywood, with nearly every studio adapting playthings for the bigscreen.

Now count Warner Bros. as one of those studios: WB is toying with plans to develop a movie around Lego and its popular building blocks.

Scribes Dan and Kevin Hageman are penning the script for the family comedy that will mix live action and animation. Warners is keeping the plot tightly under wraps, but it's described as an action adventure set in a Lego world.

Dan Lin, who is shepherding Warner Bros.' "Sherlock Holmes" and exec produced the studio's upcoming family film "Shorts," will produce the movie through his Lin Pictures, which is also behind a "Tom and Jerry" film that will put the feuding animated characters in a live-action setting. The shingle's Stephen Gilchrist serves as co-produ…

Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist named Tenma (Nicolas Cage). Powered by positive "blue" energy, Astro Boy (Freddie Highmore) is endowed with super strength, x-ray vision, unbelievable speed and the ability to fly.

Embarking on a journey in search of acceptance, Astro Boy encounters many other colorful characters along the way. Through his adventures, he learns the joys and emotions of being human, and gains the strength to embrace his destiny. Ultimately learning his friends and family are in danger, Astro Boy marshals his awesome super powers and returns to Metro City in a valiant effort to save everything he cares about and to understand what it takes to be a hero.Movie is Due out October 23rd, 2009

Who is Joining Family Guy's Star Wars Episode? Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane said the next installments in his Star Wars spoofs will mine jokes on Hoth, Cloud City and Endor and pull in characters from his other shows.

"Certainly the big worm coming out of the asteroid is a big comedy moment for us," MacFarlane said in an exclusive interview over the weekend in Pasadena, Calif., where he was promoting The Cleveland Show. "The snow battle is kind of a nightmare, but we put enough jokes in there to sustain it. Visually, we have to duplicate so much of what went on in the movie, and [for] 1980, it was still so visually complex, and we had to match that. It was very difficult, to say nothing of trying to insert a joke every 15 seconds or so."

The upcoming spoofs follow on the success of MacFarlane's first take-off, Family Guy: Blue Harvest. The episode lampooning The Empire Strikes Back is titled "Something Something Something Dark Side." "Empi…

How The Remake Of Nightmare On Elm Street Will Explain Freddy's OriginsI was one of the Lucky few people Who got to meet the Star of the A New Nightmare On Elm Street During Comic Con Jackie Earle Haley. We Talked for a few moments and I let him know that I have always had fond Memories of him since he played Kelly in the movie Bad News Bears. And how it is one of my Favorite movies. And that I was glad how he portrayed Rorschach in the Movie Watchman. And be sure to tune into His New show Human Target Which is scheduled for release in January 2010

Early teasers for the reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street show Freddy Krueger in his trademark sweater, fedora and razor-fingered glove, but shadows intentionally obscure his face to hide the new burn makeup, said star Jackie Earle Haley, who takes on the iconic role from Robert Englund.

"He's got a new look going," Haley said in a group interview over the weekend in Pasadena, Calif., where he was promoting his upcoming Fox …

Wolverine Is Heading To My Motherland I am sure you are thing what the header means. I am Half Japanese and it is good to see that they are thinking of following the Comic Book. I guess for now we can only hope.Late last year, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" star Hugh Jackman began teasing that he'd like to bring Logan to Japan for a live-action adaptation of Frank Miller and Chris Claremont's fan-favorite story arc that had the Marvel Comics hero learning Eastern philosophy and fighting skills. While the actor offered up a confirmation of sorts prior to "Wolverine" hitting theaters that he was "talking to writers" about going the Japanese route for the sequel, the studio made it official after the film found success at the box office.During this weekend's Teen Choice Awards, Jackman devoted part of his acceptance speech ("Wolverine" won the action/adventure film category) to teasing the aforementioned sequel -- and Logan's impending j…

Robert Rodriguez may be the hardest-working man in show business—but not in Hollywood: After establishing Troublemaker Studios in Austin, Texas, more than a decade ago, he quickly amassed an impressive resume as a writer, producer, director, composer and editor.

Even with so many different challenges pulling at him these days, however, Rodriguez said that he is currently focusing his attention on making just one movie, even if he's promoting another at the same time: Machete.

"Probably Machete, because I just shot week one of that," Rodriguez told reporters over the weekend in Los Angeles while promoting his upcoming family movie Shorts. "Next week, we shoot some more."

Shorts, needless to say, is dramatically different from Machete, which expands on the fake trailer of the same name he created for 2007's Grindhouse, about a vengeance-seeking former Mexican Federale and day laborer.

They join Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck and Adrianne Palicki in the revamp of the 1984 action movie about a group of teenagers who form an insurgency when their town is invaded -- this time by Chinese and Russian soldiers.

Hutcherson will play Robert, originated by C. Thomas Howell, and become the group's tech geek. Lucas is Erica, head cheerleader and the Peck character's girlfriend whom he desperately hopes to spring from an internment camp. Lea Thompson played the character in the original.

Cruise is playing Daryl, the son of Spokane's mayor and Robert's best friend. And Hodge will play Danny, the coolest kid in school and star wide receiver who helps establish the resistance.

The young cast heads off in a few weeks for military training in an undisclosed location.

Wall Street 2 Cast is Rounding Up Frank Langella will join the cast of "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps," the Oliver Stone-directed sequel for 20th Century Fox.Shia LaBeouf stars with Michael Douglas, who'll reprise his Gordon Gekko role. Josh Brolin is reportedly circling a part in the Allan Loeb-scripted drama as well.

Langella is in talks to play Lewis Zabel, an old-time broker who mentors LaBeouf's character, a young Wall Street broker. The mentor's fate plays a major part in the film's plot.Source-Variety

It's Langella's first role since his Oscar-nominated turn as Richard Nixon in "Frost/Nixon" in 2008.

He will next be seen starring with Cameron Diaz and James Marsden in Richard Kelly-directed thriller "The Box" and Andrew Jarecki's "All Good Things" with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer gave us a quick update on his slate of upcoming movies as we and a group of other reporters chased him down a hallway following his press conference promoting ABC's The Forgotten at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Sunday:

♦Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time: The film based on Ubisoft's video game, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, is heavy into editing. Bruckheimer said post-production is going well and he should have a trailer ready soon. "I hope in the fall," he said. "Fall or Christmas."

♦Pirates of the Caribbean 4: Rob Marshall is reportedly in line to take over as director of the lucrative Jack Sparrow franchise from Gore Verbinski. Bruckheimer said that he is confident Marshall can carry the torch, but did not confirm the Chicago director yet. "I think it'll be great," Bruckheimer said. "First we've got to make a deal…

New James Cameron Avatar Poster Featuring Neytiri During Comic Con I was lucky enough to see Exclusive Footage of the movie. And it looks great. Also here is my Exclusive interview with James Cameron during Comic Con. Fox International has released the full image of the Na'vi character played by Zoe Saldana in James Cameron's Avatar in the form of a poster.

In the future, Jake, a paraplegic war veteran, is brought to another planet, Pandora, which is inhabited by the Na'vi, a humanoid race with their own language and culture. Those from Earth find themselves at odds with each other and the local culture. Movie is Due out December 18, 2009Source-20Th Century Fox